The total earnings from the last Christie’s sale in Geneva: $81,620,500. The three top prizes were a Harry Winston ring with a 50.47-carat diamond ($6,500,000), a 20.49-carat daffodil diamond ($5,587,500) and a Tiffany & Co. necklace. A few days previously, François Curiel, President Europe and Asia, recalled that the first Christie’s sale in Geneva dated back to 1969. It was dedicated to the jewels of the actress Nina Dyer, who had taken her own life in Paris a few months earlier. Christie’s search for a more liberal country was prompted by the high customs duties on importing jewelry to London. The company first chose Switzerland over Hong Kong which, at the end of the 1960s, was still too long a journey. Then it opted for Geneva, which was considered more pleasant and cheerful than Zurich. The proceeds from the sale, 10 million Swiss francs, was a record at the time.
